Chapter 279: How did you know me?

"What is he doing here?"

The corners of Penny’s lips curved downward, her eyes fixed on the person ahead of her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, louder this time. "Dean, I’m getting annoyed with you now."

Dean, who was leaning against the side of the car, peeled himself away from it. He smiled charmingly as he walked toward her.

"Why are you getting annoyed with me? It’s not like I’m following you," he quipped, stopping in front of her. "I know where you live and I’m just dropping by."

"Wow... so because of that, you think you can come here anytime?"

"Penny, I felt like our last conversation... it weighed on my heart." His smile faded as he sighed. "I reflected on my actions, and you were right. I should trust you. After all, we’ve known each other for a long time, and no matter what, we’ve shared many memories over the past twelve years."

Penny narrowed her eyes slightly, raising her brows. "What did you eat today? You’re saying so many strange things."

"Haha. I reflected on my actions and realized that no matter how worried I was about you, I should know you better than anyone," he explained with a smile. "Whatever you need from my uncle, I’m staying out of it."

"Good." She nodded, a bit taken aback by his change in approach.

"Anyway, Penny, there’s another reason I came here," he remarked, watching her brows elevate. His lips stretched a little as he took something out of his pocket. "Here."

Penny glanced at the small box—a handful-sized present—and asked, "What is that?"

"A toy fish." He shrugged and jerked his chin toward the cat in her arms. "Happy Birthday, Chunchun."

"Oh..." Her lips closed slightly. "You remembered her birthday, huh?"

"I always remember her birthday," he said with a touch of humor. "Did you think even now, with how busy I am with work, I’d forget her birthday?"

Penny pursed her lips and drew a deep breath. "Well, thank you."

"Do you have other plans for her birthday?"

"Well, my Second Brother prepared a simple family dinner for it," she said as she accepted the box. "Thanks!"

Dean blinked as if waiting for something. "No invite?"

"Nope!" Penny shook her head, and he frowned. "Haha. It’s for your own safety."

A misunderstanding tonight was the last thing Penny wanted. She already had enough of those tonight.

"Ahh... your brothers, huh?" he chuckled. "How will you date if you’re always thinking of them?"

"Well, don’t bother. Dating is not part of my plans for now."

"Do you always plan everything?"

Penny lifted her eyes, a glint flickered in them before she smirked. "Of course. Otherwise, I’d be in trouble. Always ten steps ahead. That’s my motto, remember?"

The space between his brows creased slightly at the sly look that briefly crossed her face. But Penny was always like that—smart, capable, and sometimes cunning, but in a harmless way.

Dean smiled and nodded. "It’s what I like about you."

"Tch." She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, if you won’t invite me for dinner, should I walk you home?" he asked meaningfully. "Or is it a no again?"

Penny pondered this, her eyes brimming with curiosity. "Dean, when have I ever let you walk me home or anywhere?"

"Never?" he laughed. "But like they say, try and try until you succeed."

"Goodness." Penny shook her head, clicking her tongue repeatedly.

"So?" he raised his brows and stared at her with anticipation. "Should I walk you home?"

Penny didn’t respond immediately, unlike usual. "You brought Chunchun a present, so just this once."

"Really?" His eyes gleamed with surprise.

Penny laughed. "What? Did you not expect that?"

"No... I didn’t."

"Hahaha! Oh, that’s a nice one!"

Dean frowned, watching her burst into laughter. After years of only getting rejection from her, hearing her say yes was something he didn’t expect in this lifetime. Penny, after all, had made it her life’s mission to oppose him in everything, no matter how big or small.

"Did you just say yes just to see my reaction?" he asked in dismay. "Penny, you’re crossing the line now."

Penny smirked triumphantly. "It was worth it."

"You..." he trailed off before letting out a dry laugh. "I’m speechless."

"Oh, god. Don’t be such a drama queen. Let’s go."

He pressed his lips together, smiling widely, nodding his head as he took a short jog to her side. As they walked side by side, he glanced over at her. He bit his lip slightly, trying to focus ahead, yet unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Penny, on the other hand, glanced at his side profile. "Dean, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?" He casually looked back at her. "This is a first, too. You never ask me questions because you think that’s akin to asking for yet another favor. What did you eat?"

"Cat food." She shrugged, setting her eyes ahead, her steps slow but consistent.

Dean matched her pace. "So, what’s the question? We’re quits now. You answered mine, so I’ll answer yours," he said, just to let her know this wasn’t a favor she’d have to return in the future.

"How did you know me?"

His steps slowed and then he stopped, while Penny continued walking. He stared at her back, watching the distance between them grow wider until she halted.

Penny slowly turned around, tilting her head. "I never asked you this before, but now... I am. How did you know me?"

"Why are you asking now?" he asked out of pure curiosity.

"Curiosity," she shrugged. "I’m still not interested in you and I still find you bothersome, but I think I’m old enough to know — why do you care?"

Dean nodded in understanding and chuckled. "Because I like you?"

"You don’t like me."

"At first, I didn’t." He slowly advanced toward her. "Initially, it was out of pure curiosity. I was curious because I saw Ray checking the school records, and I saw your records. I was curious what kind of person that thirteen-year-old, who could kick me out of my spot."

He stopped two steps before her and continued. "But the thing that really made me take an interest was when I heard that Professor Singh wanted you on his team. I thought I was the youngest in the team, but it turns out there’s someone much more capable and smarter than I am."

"So, you wanted to sabotage me?"

"Sabotage is a stretch. I wanted to be friends with you so we could be allies on Professor Singh’s team."

Penny’s face twitched. "Ahh."

"But I stuck around because I thought... you were fun."

"Huh?"

"You’re a good person," he said. "And I ended up liking you."

"Alright. Time to go." Penny casually turned around and resumed walking, erasing that last remark from her memory.

Watching this, Dean chuckled. "Penny, wait for me!" he called and jogged after her, only to see her blatantly sprinting away.

Surely, Penny would complain about not having a love life because of the rogues around her. But in actuality, it was her fault. When someone showed her serious interest, she always fled.

What a fickle personality she consistently maintained.